The Namibia Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO) has reaffirmed its role in strengthening Namibia’s globally recognised community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programme, highlighting collaboration, resilience and long-term sustainability as key drivers of conservation success.
Established as a coordinating support network for communal conservancies and community forests, NACSO brings together non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, development partners and conservation stakeholders working alongside rural communities. The organisation does not directly manage conservancies, but provides technical support, research, training and advocacy to strengthen Namibia’s community conservation model.
NACSO chairperson Selma Lendelgo said the strength of Namibia’s CBNRM programme lies in partnership rather than hierarchy.
“In CBNRM, we are all partners - communities, government, civil society, researchers, the private sector and international collaborators,” she said. “We are united by a shared vision of a Namibia where conservation and community well-being advance together.”
Lendelgo, a researcher at the University of Namibia, described NACSO as a broad network supporting community forests, conservancies and increasingly diversified rural development initiatives. She said its strength lies in bringing different institutions together under a shared conservation and development agenda.
Overcoming challenges
She noted that Namibia’s CBNRM sector has faced significant challenges over the years, including global disruptions such as the Covid-19 pandemic, but has remained stable through sustained collaboration.
“If in 2026 we can say NACSO is still standing, it is thanks to the resilience we have built over the years to withstand shocks and disturbances,” she said, crediting long-standing partnerships for maintaining the programme’s continuity and impact.
She also highlighted the growing importance of financial sustainability in the sector, saying discussions among NACSO partners are increasingly focused on long-term funding models to support conservancies and community-led conservation initiatives.
According to Lendelgo, the aim is not only to highlight the sector’s achievements, but to ensure it continues to contribute meaningfully to Namibia’s broader development goals. “Our focus is not to boast about being a strong sector, but to ensure that national development goals are achieved successfully,” she said.
Supporting role
CBNRM in Namibia was established following policy reforms in the 1990s, which granted rural communities legal rights over wildlife and tourism activities on communal land. Over time, NACSO has played a key role in supporting conservancies to develop governance systems, wildlife management plans and income-generating activities such as tourism partnerships, trophy hunting quotas and craft production.
Today, the programme is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading examples of community-based conservation, linking biodiversity protection with rural livelihoods. NACSO’s work includes strengthening conservancy governance, improving financial accountability and supporting equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms.
Environmental monitoring and research also form a core part of its mandate. The organisation compiles data from conservancies across Namibia, tracking wildlife populations, land-use trends and economic benefits. This information is published in annual reports used by the government, conservationists and development partners. These reports have consistently shown increases in key wildlife populations, including elephants, rhinos and large carnivores in several communal areas.
Tourism development remains another important pillar of the CBNRM model. NACSO supports conservancies in negotiating joint venture agreements with private tourism operators, helping to establish lodges and camps that generate employment and income for rural communities. It also assists with contract negotiations and revenue management to ensure fair and transparent partnerships.
Human-wildlife conflict
At the same time, NACSO continues to address human-wildlife conflict, which has become more pronounced as wildlife populations recover and expand. Support measures include early warning systems, compensation frameworks and preventive interventions such as predator-proof livestock enclosures.
Lendelgo also reiterated a foundational principle of Namibia’s conservation approach - that communities living closest to natural resources are often the most effective stewards of those environments.
As Namibia continues to position itself as a global leader in community-based conservation, NACSO’s message remains that long-term success depends on collaboration, resilience and sustained investment in the communities that live alongside the country’s natural heritage.
